One of the 142 rescued free-range hens. Note that she has been debeaked, as is legal for free-range, organic, and other such "humane" animal products.

This year, Farm Sanctuary collaborated with the Humane League to rescue 142 “spent” free-range egg-laying hens from a farm in Pennsylvania. Like conventionally-raised egg-laying hens, these birds were debeaked and pushed far beyond the limit of what their bodies could handle; through generations of selective breeding, they lay about 250 eggs a year. At just a year or two old, they were, like their conventionally-raised counterparts, considered “spent” and were slated to be sent to slaughter. (Chickens can live 10 to 15 years.) Often too bruised and battered to be sold as regular meat, egg-laying hens are usually discarded–in one infamous case, a farm was charged with animal cruelty for throwing 15,000 live hens into a wood chipper, only to have the charges dropped when the judge declared it to be “common industry practice”–or turned into cheap meat for pot pies, soups, and baby food, where bruises are less visible. Free-range, organic, and other such “humane” animal products have far more in common with conventional, factory-farmed products than many of us would like to think. Learn more here.

But these hens will not face such a dismal fate. Thanks to the combined efforts of Farm Sanctuary and the Humane League, all 142 hens found homes at various animal sanctuaries and private homes in the New York area. 30 of them will remain at Farm Sanctuary’s New York shelter.

Liberation BC is proud to support Farm Sanctuary by participating in the annual Walk for Farm Animals. Won’t you join us?